Comparative study between the effect of pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures on preoperative anxiety in pediatric patients undergoing elective outpatient surgeries: prospective, randomized, blinded study

Introduction: anxiety in children who will undergo surgical procedures is an occurrence described in the literature, which affects approximately 50% to 75% of children. Objectives: to compare the effect between preoperative presentation of a short film in cartoon format and the use of an oral midazolam solution, administered as preanesthetic medication, in reducing anxiety in the preoperative period of preoperative -schoolchildren submitted to circumcision surgeries. Patients and methods: clinical, controlled, prospective, randomized and blind trial, carried out in a pediatric hospital. After sample calculation, 180 children were recruited, divided equally between the three groups. Children were randomized into three groups: 1) Control group; 2) Group that used Midazolam Hydrochloride, oral solution; 3) Group that watched the video on the tablet. Preoperative anxiety was analyzed using the Yale Scale, the presence of delirium using the PAED Scale, and pain using the FLACC Scale. Results: preschoolers who watched the video were less anxious when compared to the group who received Midazolam (p-value = 0.027). Children who watched the video had lower PAED values ??when compared to the group that received Midazolam and the control group. (p-value <0.00001). A significant association was observed between the presence of anxiety and postoperative delirium in the three groups. The use of Midazolam increased hospital stay. Conclusion: the group that watched the video had lower levels of anxiety, less frequency of delirium and shorter hospital stay when compared to the group that used Midazolam Hydrochloride.